Since today is the final day of 2014, I wanted to take a minute to reflect on this beast of a year before jumping headfirst into the next one. And my, what a year it's been. 

2014 started off on the wrong foot. Literally. On New Year's Day of this year, I--at 23 weeks pregnant--woke up and stepped out of bed to find gushing bright red blood. I spent the next nine days in the hospital, strapped down to monitors, and worried about the very real possibility that I would either deliver a terribly premature baby girl or lose her altogether. In order to keep her chances of survival high, I stayed on modified bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. This was difficult with moving to a brand new home in a brand new town, but we made it work. Our January was incredibly hectic with all of these things going on, but most exciting was celebrating Bobby's first birthday and seeing Florida's first snow since God was a boy. 

We spent the remainder of Winter settling in and making our house a home, exploring the beach, and spending time with family. It felt good to be back close to home. I had to rely on the support of family and friends during those months of bed rest; I couldn't have made it through the pregnancy without all of their help. It truly takes a village.

We celebrated Easter, welcomed Spring and our sweet Vivien Louise (who was born perfectly healthy at 40+ weeks, thank the good Lord!) into our family, and we spent the next couple of months trying to get the hang of two under two.

Summer was full of sweaty heat, pool days, beer, popsicles, and play dates at the water park.

Late Summer was full of emotions. We were so proud to baptize Vivi and to take part in my friend's Chicago wedding, and we were struck with tragedy to learn of the passing of our dear friend, Moose. We reconnected with a ton of our military family when we went to Moose's funeral at the Air Force Academy in early October, and we celebrated his life with an amazing party and piano burn.

We spent Fall outside, wore lots of fun festive-wear, watched football, took a trip to the fair, and went trick-or-treating. 

We began the holiday season with our Atlanta family for Thanksgiving, and then we enjoyed a magical Christmas at home. 

 2014 has given us some of our highest highs and lowest lows. It's been exhilarating, exhausting, and tons of fun. Thank you for all of your kind words, support, and friendship. I can't wait to continue blogging in the new year! I'm sad to see this year go, but I'm so excited to welcome 2015 and see what this new year holds for us! 

We'll take a cup of kindness yet

for Auld Lang Syne

Happy New Year's Eve!

-Annette

A Simple Christmas & A Not-So-Simple Ring

Something they want,

Something they need,

Something to wear,

Something to read.

I discovered this little ditty just this year as I was looking for Christmas ideas for The Boy.  I know, I know, tons of people love the idea of going crazy for Christmas, but I just don’t.  Sometimes I think I’m inhabited by a spirit from the early 1800s, because kids these days!  I like the idea of kids knowing from whom each gift comes and appreciating each thing to the fullest, and with The Boy being the age he is now, overwhelming him with toys just does not work.  You sit him in a room with a new truck, and he’s a happy camper for a good hour.  You give him five new toys, and four of those quickly are pushed to the side and forgotten. 

This year, it was such a joy to watch The Boy find this under the tree:

Man, 1970s Fisher Price knew how to do a great fire station!  I bought it off of Etsy, and it was in perfect condition, and talk about perfect construction!  Toys of yesteryear. 

Need and wear went hand in hand with some new underwear (and no, I didn’t put in under the tree as a gift, because every 3-year old would think that super lame) as potty training is starting to become a topic. 

Our read choice was Merry Christmas, Curious George, which was so much fun to read as this was the first year The Boy understood Santa. 

And Santa, that jolly ol’ man, he leaves one gift, a stocking gift.  I’m set on that.  I want my kid to believe in Santa until an appropriate age, but I also want him to understand that a stranger, no matter how good natured and jolly he may be, doesn’t have the ability to give you and every other kid something expensive.  Rather, the idea of Santa, a man of good cheer, is spreading the spirit of Christmas by bringing you a little something that will bring you a smile.  Expensive gifts come from Mom and Dad, and later, with the help of hard work and good manners. 

I know, I’m an anomaly.  Most of our generation like the idea of giving their kids everything, plus the moon.  But, I have never met a kid who whined about not having enough, unless he was going to grow up to be an ungrateful little snot.  Harsh words but true story. 

Our Christmas morning was a happy one… We filled our bellies with bacon and orange rolls, played with the cool new fire station and Santa gift, took the entire family out for a run and enjoyed dinner with friends. 

Our pre-Christmas was filled with every kid’s dream: Time on the ranch!  We explored trails, rocks, and mountains, we hunted for dragons and monsters and spent every moment we could outdoors. 

Pa gifted The Boy his first gun, which was quite a hit, and Nana found a delightful Broncos helmet that I’m surprised The Boy actually took off for sleeping. 

Post-Christmas has been filled with the other half of our family, so The Boy is truly being spoiled with love, which is exactly what Christmas is about: Family. 

As for my husband and I, we are never big on Christmas gifts for each other.  Mainly, we like to get each other little knickknacks that will make the other laugh.  For instance, I gifted my husband a Juvat lunchbox (thanks to the awesome Soaring Pride Designs!): 

But, this year, my husband did something quite out of the ordinary, gifting me a redesigned wedding ring.  You see, when we were engaged, we were 22 years old.  I had no idea what kind of ring I would like for life, other than one that wasn't too big since my hands are small and slender. This was the ring I was given when my husband proposed:

It was a pretty ring, but I soon found that I didn't like wearing it for my everyday life.  The diamonds stuck out and caught on things, and because my finger is so slender but the ring still has to fit over my knuckle, the ring constantly twisted under or to the side.  I would go months without wearing it and just wearing my plain wedding band in its place.  

So, my husband took my ring to Jeff White Custom Jewelry in Las Vegas and gave him some ideas on rings that I liked, explaining that I definitely wanted the ring to be flush and wanted to wear it for every occasion in my active life.  This is what they designed:

I love it not only because it's unique but also because I haven't taken it off!  I hardly notice the difference between having it on and my old wedding band.  I almost didn’t want to share the picture with you in fear my ring would be copied, but I guess I’m cool with starting a new trend.  My husband, he's a keeper!

And hey, 2015 is just days away!  Be safe and enjoy the last couple of days in 2014!    

Time to fly,

Liz